Natural help for sinuses

Mar 09, 2009

My teen daughter has been struggling with a sinus infection (sinusitis) for the past week or so; not fun. I just came across this helpful article, "What to do about sinusitis," from the Harvard Women's Health Watch. The article gives instructions and justification for one of the best, most natural and gentle treatments: nasal irrigation, or flushing the sinus cavities with a warm salt-water solution. All it takes is water and salt! Here's how to do it, according to the Harvard article:

1. Stir 1 teaspoon of salt into 2 cups of lukewarm water.

2. Fill a small bulb syringe with the saltwater solution. (Or use a neti pot.)

3. Lean over your bathroom or kitchen sink, insert the tip of the syringe just inside one nostril, and gently squeeze the bulb. The water will run back out the nostril (or possibly the opposite nostril) and into the sink. Use at least one full bulb of solution.

4. Repeat the procedure in the other nostril. (If the salt solution stings your nose, use less salt, or add a big pinch of baking soda to the solution, to buffer it.)